Flesh, Blood and Mako
by Foxglove
Summary: Honestly. If Cloud doesn't have a clue what's going on it's not likely I'm going to tell all of you and spoil it in the summary. ^_~ C&C is always appreciated


-Flesh, Blood and Mako-

By Foxglove

Disclaimer:

Squaresoft owns the characters. I don't. They rule. I don't. Enjoy.

C&C welcome.

_____

_Beautiful.  God, he was so perfect. Like a….. pay attention._

**Pay attention Sephiroth.**

Sudden brightness. That flash of burning light that some claim to see before death. That's what it was like.  But he wasn't dying, he was almost certain of that and before he had a chance to think another moment about it, it was gone.  The world returned to what it was; shimmered, melted and restored itself to his previous surroundings.

He'd later convince himself that it was just the motion sickness. The way the small vehicle shock and lurched every which way up the winding road never failed to make his stomach churn. There was something else, though. Something else that made his palms sweat and his stomach feel light and empty.  

A quick look to his side confirmed it. 

The older man sat silently, looking out the back window at the disappearing landscape and the quickly darkening skies. He stared at what passed before his eyes as though it were the dullest thing in the world, but, having nothing better to do, would have to be content with it. His legs were crossed over one another in a graceful manner and his hair spilled down his back like a silver waterfall.  

The truck continued on up the shallow incline, lurching along the winding mountain road.  Its occupants, for the most part, were silent.  There weren't many of them; a handful of nobodies; a few medical technicians; a first class SOLDIER and, of course, their General; Sephiroth. 

Cloud Strife, without a doubt, considered himself to be one of those 'nobodies' as much as he hated to admit it to himself.  That feeling only intensified while in the presence of his idol, the one man whom he tried so hard to emulate.  He'd failed, though. He'd failed himself; his mother; his father; wherever he happened to be; his town…Tifa.  

"Hey," Cloud jumped slightly at the hand on his shoulder and the voice from behind him, "You alright?"

He turned to the voice and met a pair of slightly glowing hazel eyes and an ever-present grin.

 Cloud raised a hand, dismissing the other man and his concern before looking back down at the notch of wood he'd been staring at before, using it as something to take his mind off the feeling of his stomach and the nervousness of the situation.   Out of the corner of his eye he stole a glance at the silver-haired legend again, only to quickly avert his eyes back to where they were when he saw the older man looking his way.  Looking at him.  

"_Amusement? What the hell?"_ Cloud thought as he felt a lump in his throat form.  He could have sworn he saw it there, shining in those eyes.  "_Why would the General…"_

There was a sudden crash outside the vehicle and any questions the young man had faded with the sound of a beastly roar. 

"They told me this was going to be a difficult mission Zack and that's why they needed me on it." The voice was quiet, but with a hint of anger to it.  Then again, the General's word's always sounded that way; a slight edge to it that commanded attention and a softness that required attention so as not to miss a word.  

Zachary Galiff watched the General in silence; completely unaware of the way the older man paced the room, and disregarding the annoyed glare on his face.  Instead, he smiled, ran a hand through his thick, black hair and shrugged.

"Honestly…I don't know.  President Shinra would most likely consider getting himself dressed in the morning a chore.  Something like this doesn't even register in his mind. So…what does he do?  Why, send his best of course.  Namely…you." Zack made sure he caught the other man's eye before speaking again. "Or…it might be something else." 

Sephiroth stopped suddenly and looked at the soldier a bit wide-eyed. 

"You don't mean-"

Zack nodded. 

Sephiroth opened his mouth to say more, but stopped suddenly.  He looked around his office as though just realizing where he was. 

"Join me for a walk, Zack" It wasn't a request.

Zack quirked an eyebrow at him curiously, shrugged, and then followed him out the door. 

They were now walking through Shinra's flower gardens.  The hundreds of plants that brought so much beauty in the spring and summer were now colorless and dull in the cool winter air.  Midgar had always been that way; warm throughout most of the year, yet just cold enough during winter months to kill off vegetation and make the air crisp.

Sephiroth loved this place.  He loved to stroll along the stone paths that were now all but void of people.  He loved the way he could walk around freely without having people stare at him, the fresh air, and the darkness that covered the poorly lit area at night. Or at least…that's what he'd been told he liked.

Zack walked a comfortable distance behind the General, his friend.  Being bored of the dreary surroundings and, feeling uncomfortable in the way the few people across the park would stop suddenly and watch the two of them, he felt content to just watch the path a few steps ahead. 

"They can't possibly be thinking of starting this early." Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder at the young, dark-haired man. "They wouldn't do that…would they? That's not what this trip is for.  Tell me I'm right Zack."

"I…I'm not sure, but, yeah. I think that's their reason.  It's strange…isn't it?  I guess they wanted to try something new, though. I'm sure you looked over the files and information and whatnot already…" Zack trailed off with a slight shrug of his shoulders, not looking up until he'd finished speaking and even then it was a quick glance to look for a reaction. 

Sephiroth sighed softly and nodded, confirming that he had indeed. Then spoke again softly. 

"He's either going to go insane or die. Poor kid."

Zack smiled slightly.  "No, I think that's your job."

Sephiroth looked at him and grinned, smirking softly. "Cloud Strife was it?"

A confirming nod in return. 

"Have you seen him yet?" Sephiroth asked, then added, almost as an afterthought, "Or met him, here?"

Zack remained silent for a few moments and watched his feet for a few steps before shaking his head.

The older man furrowed his brow and stole a glance back at his dark-haired friend. "Strange. They're usually brought in beforehand."

"Like I said Seph. It's gonna be different this time. With everything."

"So it would seem…"

They traveled on in silence.

His whole life. His whole _life _he'd waited for an opportunity like this. Ironic how things worked out sometimes.

"Strife. Cloud Strife?" 

Cloud turned to look at the man who'd walk through the door, wincing slightly at the 'more than a little annoyed' tone of the large man's voice. He seemed familiar and after a few moments of thought a name clicked with Cloud.  Corporal Karasha, that was it, just another Shinra employee the young blonde had come across earlier in his few years at the corporation.  He handed Cloud a few sheets of papers and spoke again while flipping through a few other sheets still attached to his clipboard.

"You've been reassigned Strife. This next weekend, the Nibelheim mission.  You'll be going to check out some malfunctions at the reactor up there. You know the place?"

Cloud nodded silently. 

"Hmm.  That'd probably explain why they chose you." He added quietly with a deep frown, "I sure as hell don't see any other explanation…"

The young blonde glared slightly at the older man. "Who else is going?"

Karasha looked up as though just realizing Cloud was still in the room. "Hm? Oh" He flipped a page and glanced over it. "A few other cadets; first-class Soldier Zachary Galiff and The General."

Cloud stared blankly at the man, unsure of how to react, unsure of what to do or what to say. He nodded and the other man left, grumbling to himself; something about novices.

Looking around the small, bare room he'd been using to practice, Cloud felt suddenly like he was dreaming.  A chance. Finally, he had a chance to meet his idol and a chance to go home.  Home.  He thought about it for a moment and frowned.  Lord, he hated his home and the only word he could associate with it was hatred.  Funny how things work sometimes.  

***

Author's Notes: 

Ha! Me? An author? I think not. Anyway, this is my first real fic I've attempted and I've still not convinced myself that I want to finish it, though I do have quite a bit of it planned out. Reviews are always appreciated. Muffins go out to those who leave them. ^_^  Just a side thank-you to Twig and Dina for encouraging me to get even this little bit done.  


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